Denver Water limits watering to 2 days per week with mandatory restrictions
The Denver Board of Water Commissioners declared a Stage 1 drought on Wednesday morning and implemented mandatory water restrictions. The board made the decision amid severe drought conditions and a historically low snowpack.
"A tremendous amount of thought and care went into this declaration, and it is the right decision for our organization and for our community," said Tyrone Gant, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners, in a statement. "This is not our first drought, and we will get through this challenging time, but we need everyone to help out this summer in case drought conditions persist into next year and beyond."
The declaration seeks a 20% reduction in water use- effective immediately. Denver Water customers are urged to wait until mid to late May to turn on automatic watering systems. They recommend saving water now, with only occasional hand watering for trees and shrubs as necessary.
This is the fifth time since 2000 that Denver Water has issued a Stage 1 drought, and the first since 2013. The previous years included 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Additional Information from Denver Water:
Customers in single-family residential properties may water no more than two days per week and must follow a set schedule:
• Addresses ending in even numbers: Sunday and Thursday.
• Addresses ending in odd numbers: Wednesday and Saturday.
All other customers, including multifamily properties, commercial properties, homeowners associations and government properties, may water only on Tuesdays and Fridays.
In addition, customers must follow Denver Water's annual summer watering rules:
• Water only during cooler times of the day, between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.
• Do not allow water to pool in gutters, streets and alleys.
• Do not waste water by letting it spray on concrete and asphalt.
• Repair leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days.
• Do not irrigate while it is raining or during high winds.
• Use a hose nozzle with a shut-off valve when washing your car.
According to Denver Water, the reservoir storage was 80% full as of Monday. The average for this time of year is 85% full.
They also said that snowpack levels continue to be among the worst on record in Denver Water's two primary watersheds, the Colorado River Basin (55% of normal, worst on record) and the South Platte River Basin (42% of normal, worst on record). Denver Water said snowpack levels indicate how much water is expected to melt and enter reservoirs this spring.
"The snowpack within Denver Water's collection system has deteriorated significantly and continues to decline," said Nathan Elder, Denver Water's manager of water supply, in a statement. "Snowpack levels in both basins are now the lowest observed in the past 40 years, with accelerated melting underway. The conditions we are experiencing are unprecedented, and we need customers to save water to protect the supply we have right now."
Denver Water said that although April is historically one of Colorado's snowiest months, recovering to a normal spring snowpack would require the snowiest April in recorded history.
"We're 7 to 8 feet of snow short of where we need to be," said Elder in a statement. "It would take a tremendous amount of snow to recover at this point, so it's time to turn our attention to preserving what we have."
CBS Colorado First Alert Meteorologists said that high temperatures are expected to climb to around 90 degrees on Wednesday, March 25, putting Denver in a position to challenge, and potentially set, an all-time record high for March.
Denver Water said it is developing proposed temporary drought pricing that would place a premium on higher-volume outdoor water use, while keeping the cost per gallon for essential indoor water use, such as drinking, cooking and bathing, unchanged. They are also developing plans for the enforcement of watering restrictions.
"Now is a good time for folks to consider making landscape changes with plants and grasses that require far less water and are better able to adapt to Colorado's dry stretches," said Alan Salazar, CEO/manager of Denver Water.
Denver Water said it serves 1.5 million people, about 25% of Colorado's population.
